Derry A&E consultant asks for patience

An A&E consultant in Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital has asked for patience as he spoke of how busy the department is with pressures compounded by difficulties in discharging patients to free up beds at the hospital.
The Western trust meanwhile said a high volume of COVID patients and COVID outbreaks was adding to the pressures facing the Derry hospital.
Consultant Ryan Smith in a video message issued by the Western trust said: “We currently have 33 assessment cubicles of which 23 are majors and ambulatory cubicles; six COVID cubicles and four resuscitation cubicles.
“On an average day we would see approximately above 200 patients on average of which 80% of which we would see and discharge from the department and approximately one in five would require admission to the hospital for further assessment or ongoing management.
“Due to the current inpatient pressures and the difficulty in discharging patients back into the community there is a backlog within our department which routinely sees each of our cubicles being taken up by an inpatient. Due to this we try and strive to provide the best comfort we can for our patients but this cannot be done in all instances.
“We would ask for your patience regarding this and we would be keen that whenever you present to the department that you will have patience with regard to the assessment within in the department.”